Living in God’s Future Faithfulness
We have a tendency to view life in giant steps.
Instead of a unified whole, it can become a string of perceived self-actualizing events. The quality of how we’re living is lost, and what we are able to conquer is what gains paramount significance. This is evident in our cultural milestones: graduating college, getting married, landing the dream job, having a baby, etc.
But what about all the space in between?
Recently, I’ve been praying for God’s direction in regards to my future education. I was giving the usual petitions: what should I do? Where should I go? How will this work? All of which are good, right concerns to bring before God, because we should rely on Him and pray through our decisions wisely. However, God’s answer was not a simple arrow in the right direction. Instead, He put that answer on hold and helped me identify a divide in my relationship with Him.
How can I truly put future decisions in God’s hands when I’m not sure I’ve learned to do so for tomorrow?
Without realizing it, I was eliminating the possibility that God wanted to show me something about myself through those prayers that wasn’t a simple binary answer. He didn’t bypass my prayers — He got to the heart behind them. Our lives aren’t about God helping us arrive at certain destinations or achieve admirable feats — they’re about following Him faithfully in the normalcy of our daily routines. This is far more difficult, but God is concerned with how we live and steward our time for His glory, not just coasting from one goal to another.
In Luke 12:42–48, Jesus says:
42 “…Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
The crux of Jesus’ words is to show us that the more we’re given, the more is expected of us because of what we’ve been entrusted with. We need to learn to steward what God has allotted to us now before expecting more. How are we supposed to handle being given a grand life plan when we may not be able to manage what God has portioned us in the present? Like it says in v. 48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” We can’t flippantly ask for more without understanding the responsibility of stewarding what we already have.
How can we expect financial blessings when we don’t pay our bills on time? Why should God hand us healthy romantic relationships when we have bad interpersonal relationships with those around us already? How can we ask Him for better jobs when we don’t work to the best of our abilities at the ones we have?
I tend to be farsighted with God’s provision. When I look past what He’s doing in the present, that disposition only leads to a discontented view of what He’s given me. It is in effect telling God, “What you’ve portioned me with isn’t enough. You aren’t satisfying to me; I need more.” When Jesus tells us to pray for our “daily bread” (Matt. 6:11), or literally, “our bread for tomorrow,” I think part of the reason for that is so we won’t miss the greatness of God’s daily provision for us. Each day, God remains faithful to us (Deut. 31:6), sustains our salvation (1 Pet. 1:5), forgives us our sins (1 Jn. 1:9), and works in our lives in innumerable ways that we could not even imagine on this side of eternity.
It’s healthy to plan for the future, but those plans should not assume idolatrous roles in our lives. They should not become our sole purpose of waking up in the morning. If that is the case, we’ll find that when we arrive, we are still not satisfied with what we have. We were never meant to be satisfied in our accomplishments. We need to be content with God and what He’s given us today, because God knows exactly what we need (Matt. 6:8). God’s will for us isn’t just in the future, but it’s being carried out every day of our lives. It doesn’t just consist of major life decisions or events.
In a way, it’s sometimes a grace that God slowly reveals His plans for us. Imagine if God showed us everything He had in store for us. Aside from the fact that He owes us nothing on this front, the pressure would be insufferable.
It’s a grace every time we become distressed about how life isn’t panning out how we thought it would, and we turn to God in prayer instead of sitting in our distress. It’s a grace every time we look at our failures to become the people we thought we would be, knowing that regardless of our perceived failures, our true value lies in who God has made us to be. Even if He just has us in a season of waiting, it’s grace that allows us time to prepare and build a stronger relationship with Him each day.
God is more concerned about our sanctification than our accomplishments. He will never call us to something that requires setting aside our relationship with Him, even for a short period. Romans 12:2 states:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
When we don’t feel like God is doing anything in our lives, it doesn’t mean He isn’t providing for us. Our spiritual disciplines are a perfect example of God’s daily faithfulness. He gave us His word so that we can be satisfied in Him instead of finding empty pleasure in what the world has to offer. He allows us to come to Him in prayer and express our praises, our burdens, and our shortcomings. God provides for us every day — it’s just a matter of looking for it.
